Spousal Presence as a Nonpharmacological Pain Management during Childbirth: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background. Measures of spousal effect during parturient pain should take a tripartite approach involving the parturients, spouses, and midwives. Aim. To develop and validate three questionnaires measuring spousal presence in management of parturient pain in Nigeria. Methods. There are two phases: (1) development of questionnaires, Abuja Instrument for Midwives (AIM), Abuja Instrument for Parturient Pain (AIPP), and Abuja Instrument for Parturient Spouses (AIPS), utilizing literatures, Kuopio instrument for fathers (KIF) and expertise of health professionals, and (2) pilot study to validate the questionnaires which were administered in two hospitals in Nigeria: midwives (n = 10), parturients (n = 10), and spouses (n = 10). Results. Internal consistency for the three questionnaires indicated Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.789 (AIM), 0.802 (AIPP), and 0.860 (AIPS), while test-retest reliability was r = 0.99 (AIM), r = 0.99 (AIPP), and r = 0.90 (AIPS). Conclusions. AIM, AIPP, and AIPS provide a means of investigating the effectiveness of spousal presence in management of parturient pain in Nigeria. However, further testing of each instrument is needed in a larger population to replicate the beneficial findings of AIMS, AIPP, and AIPS which can contribute rigor to future studies.

Women’s perceptions of spousal relevance in childbirth pain relief in four Nigerian hospitals

“…Data was collected within 48 hours post-partum using a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire; it was labeled the Abuja instrument for parturient pain (AIPP) [12] In addition, we collected data on the perceived effect of spousal pain relief activities during childbirth; before and after their reported spousal pain relief activities during childbirth, participants identified their perceived pain level on the universal pain scale incorporated into the AIPP. The universal pain scale is a multidimensional pain assessment tool intended to aid healthcare workers in assessing pain according to individual patient needs [13] .…”

Barriers to spousal contribution to childbirth pain relief in Nigeria

“…Feedback from experts clarified appropriate use of terminologies such as “partner/spouse instead of wife” (Emelonye et al. ). A pretest session was conducted for the three questionnaires.…”

Womens perception of male involvement during pregnancy and labour in University College Hospital, Ibadan

“…According to World Health Organization 2015 statistics, the maternal mortality ratio in developing countries is 239 per 100 000 live births and this is attributed to complications of pregnancy and childbirth characterized by pain and other delivery related complications (Alkema, 2016). A disproportionately high burden of these deaths is borne by developing countries particularly Nigeria where the maternal mortality and morbidity rates have remained one of the highest globally (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2015).…”

“…Data shows a daunting maternal mortality ratio of 1500/100,000 births in Nigeria accounting for nearly 15% of the global estimates of maternal mortality (WHO, 2015). This situation is aggravated due to inadequate management of pregnancy and labour, which does not only inflict psychological and physical hardship on parturient women; but essentially bugs the health-care system with huge financial burden (Alkema et al, 2015). Childbirth pain whether triggered by medical or non-medical causes can make women feel uncomfortable and anxious and become sleepless and agitated.…”